Raymond Carniel was born to a common family, with parents who were ordinary people, living on a relatively remote planet.
For a family that wasn’t wealthy, joining the military in these peaceful times was essentially a guaranteed stable career.
Raymond himself didn’t mind becoming a soldier; in fact, it was his dream.
Whenever he saw a warship breaking through the atmosphere, the young Raymond would feel deeply moved, hoping that one day he could board such a vessel, as vast as a city.
So, when he was admitted to Zhanhun Military Academy, Raymond was overjoyed.
He was so excited that during “LPB,” he got knocked down by upperclassmen as soon as he stepped out.
The first battle of the school year was ignoble, but fortunately, the upperclassmen who “defeated” him escorted him to the academy headquarters, making him one of the first to arrive.
Because he had not awakened any special abilities and his academic grades were poor, Raymond was assigned to Class E.
But he didn’t feel discouraged; he was full of enthusiasm and hope for the future.
He frequently volunteered to help others, and within a few days, he was remembered by his classmates and elected as the vice class president.
Raymond never expected to become vice class president, but he believed that since he had earned the trust of his peers, he should fulfill his duties and execute the tasks assigned by the homeroom teacher.
At the start of the school year, the class committee hadn’t been fully selected, so most of the students’ responsibilities fell on Raymond and the class president.
He knew that most of Class E recognized him, but many students didn’t know each other, making his task challenging.
Last night, after checking the accommodation on all floors for Class E, Raymond returned to the dorm.
At that moment, he found his roommate—none other than the legendary Ye Lan.
Raymond had naturally heard of Ye Lan, as his reputation had spread widely among the freshmen.
Raymond had even seen the blurry online video: “A boy runs away from a mech, abandoning a girl to die, but she defeats the mech herself.”
Logically speaking, for a weak-bodied, ability-less student, choosing to run wasn’t unreasonable.
But on the other hand, the girl had fought hard to protect him, yet he fled—this was completely unacceptable.
So it was no surprise that Ye Lan was criticized.
(Except for Ye Lan, Su Li Xiao, and the school authorities, ordinary students didn’t know the truth about the mech’s rampage. The public information was only “upperclassmen guiding freshmen in battle.”)
Raymond also saw the girl who defeated the mech during the opening ceremony.
As a freshman representative, she was breathtakingly beautiful, graceful, and elegant—completely different from the fierce warrior in the online video.
Yet the academy confirmed they were the same person, demonstrating both beauty and strength.
When she took the stage, criticism of Ye Lan peaked, with some suggesting he be expelled.
The school made no statement, no verdict, and did nothing to curb the growing rumors.
Before seeing Ye Lan, Raymond naturally had no favorable impression and even thought it unlucky to have him as a roommate.
But when he finally met Ye Lan, he found him honest and sincere—completely unlike the “coward and deserter” portrayed online.
Perhaps Ye Lan was putting on a show, but Raymond still felt that someone with this demeanor couldn’t possibly be a deserter.
Ye Lan wasn’t as bad as people imagined.
This realization eased Raymond’s mind, and he slept soundly that night.
…
In his sleep, Raymond heard rustling sounds, as if someone were tidying a bed.
He struggled to open his eyes slightly and saw a busy figure organizing things.
After finishing, the figure changed into a white tracksuit and left the room.
Raymond glanced at his bedside clock with tired eyes.
[4:30 am]
He thought it must be much later, but it was still dark.
Truly uncanny.
Sleepiness hit him again, and he tilted his head to resume snoring.
…
Ye Lan silently closed the dorm room door.
Compared to the noisy night, the early morning dorms were truly quiet.
The dorm’s soundproofing was good; only up close could one hear snores.
Outside, the stars competed with the dark night for dominion over the planet’s colors.
This was the darkness before dawn, but also the beginning of a new day.
At this hour, the dorm building had just opened.
The dorm supervisor, dozing on the desk, heard someone moving downstairs, opened his cloudy eyes to glance at Ye Lan, and went back to rest.
Ye Lan was the first student to leave the dorm.
He ran along the shaded path behind the dorm, the fastest route to the academy’s training ground.
The early morning wind was cool and moist, dispelling sleepiness quickly.
Given his poor physical condition, Ye Lan had devised a series of exercise plans.
The plan had to start with the simplest and most practical method—running.
Compared to students naturally gifted with psychic or special abilities, Ye Lan was already at a disadvantage.
Time was extremely limited, so he had to seize every second.
…
Raymond continued sleeping deeply, gradually transitioning to light sleep.
He could sense his surroundings—the sound of someone entering the bathroom, water running, then returning to the bed across from him.
Later, he didn’t know if an hour or a minute had passed, but something suddenly rang, shattering his sleep.
“Ding! Ding! Ding-ding! Ding-ding!——”
The alarm on Raymond’s bedside jolted him awake.
Influenced by grogginess, he grabbed the alarm to throw it, intending to smash it with a single swing.
But rationality returned mid-action, and he froze, placing the alarm back on the bedside table.
“Awake?”
Raymond looked up to see Ye Lan arranging his uniform in front of the mirror.
“You woke up early,” Raymond commented.
“Didn’t wake you, right?”
Ye Lan had already worn the male uniform and tied his hair neatly.
He examined his reflection and nodded in approval.
“Shouldn’t have… but I think I heard some noise,” Raymond yawned, heading to the bathroom.
Ye Lan clenched his teeth upon hearing this.
Although adept with modern weapons and a skilled marksman, he was still a novice in stealth and concealment.
A sniper must master hiding, scouting, and counter-surveillance; accuracy alone wasn’t enough.
A competent assassin blends into crowds unnoticed, leaving no impression.
Even witnesses couldn’t provide useful information, as the assassin’s presence was too subtle.
Ye Lan murmured: “Appear weak, conceal intent…”
For many professions, knowledge of theory alone wasn’t sufficient—practical experience was essential.
Given his infamous reputation, Ye Lan’s priority was concealing his presence and reducing his perceptibility.
He couldn’t rely on low-traffic areas when moving.
Raymond, finished washing, asked, “Have you eaten?”
Ye Lan nodded: “Already. I was late for two days, so I went to report first.”
“You didn’t go yesterday? Hurry then.”
Raymond realized Ye Lan hadn’t reported to the Class E homeroom teacher yet, but it made sense—curfew had passed.
“See you in class then.”
Ye Lan bade farewell and left the dorm.
“Okay, okay.”
Raymond witnessed Ye Lan’s decisiveness, then hurried to organize his own belongings and head to the cafeteria.